


The Princess and the Bear

by kovya



Category: Vikings (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vikings, F/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-30
Updated: 2019-05-12
Packaged: 2019-07-20 19:04:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16143545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kovya/pseuds/kovya
Summary: Adina is the King's daughter, her father rules over the Adriatic Sea, but once the Vikings come their way, drastic measures must be taken and all her people hold dear must be sacrificed. But Adina is ready for them when they come on their dragon-headed ships. She is a Slavic princess and she is far from cowardly. A deal must be made in order for her father to save his kingdom and she is the price he has to pay.





	1. Chapter 1

The day had come. The day her father would give her over to the raiders along with chests of gold and silver in order to stop the attacks on his people. His was the Northern region of the kingdom known as Dalmatia when the Vikings began attacking. So when his son in law and future heir had died at the hands of their leader, the people started doubting him and a new leader of people promising to defeat the raiders from the sea had arisen from the Western region of Panonia. 

 

Her father had seen but one choice if he wanted to preserve his kingdom and the allegiance of his people and that was paying the raiders off. But when the offer was proposed to the leader of the Northmen, he only said that gold and silver doesn't satisfy them anymore and that the king had to offer something more if he wanted them to sail along. So the king sent them his widowed third-born daughter along with the gold, promising her to them with one condition. That she is to choose to which captain of their fleet she will be given. 

A right which she had negotiated with her father in despair along with her queen mother. 

The spring sun was shining and the festivities of her people were short upon them, but instead of celebrating, they were at war; Adina thought as she climbed up on the carriage and turned to look back at her parents and sisters for the last time. She would miss them, she decided, but she wouldn't be afraid. Even if the Northmen took her as a whore she would go down with her head held high, for she wasn't a scared little girl, she was a princess. The carriage was spurred forward, heading to the docks, and she reflected on that morning, somewhat bitterly thinking of her sisters' tears. 

 

How had they any right to cry? They should rejoice that it was not them their father had picked. She remembered thinking when her mother had draped her best knitted shawl over her shoulders. It was bright red with white details, the colours of her father's kingdom. Underneath it, she wore only a plain linen shift, but around her neck she donned the most beautiful jewelry she owned, adorning her ears with pearls. 

 

Her father had also sent one more woman to be subjected to the Vikings. Her name was Dana and she was a household slave whom Adina knew since they were both children. Before they left, Dana had braided Adina's hair in the traditional way, having a few of the braids wrap around the back of Adina's head and support the rest of her golden hair. 

 

The slave was now beside her in the carriage, sitting on one of the chests of gold and looking as if she was going to collapse at any moment. Adina reminded herself to keep her face stoic and eyes raised to the horizon and not betray her feelings to the raiders. For there was one thing her people had in common with the Northmen and that was valuing strength. There was a reason her father had sent Dana with her, for Adina knew some of the Northern tongue and Dana was supposed to teach her and care for her as her mistress.  
Despite her efforts to remain strong, Adina shuddered as she saw the long ships docked at the port, the Adriatic calm beneath them. She wished the sea to churn, to become restless and tear their ships apart, but it seemed that neither the old gods nor the new one were listening. She sent a silent prayer to Veles to ruin the calmness of the still water even though she was baptized only months ago, not caring about her father's priorities anymore. She belonged to him no longer and she decided to go back to the old gods that were still worshipped throughout the kingdoms, for she heard they were much more similar to the ones of the Northmen. At least they were less alien than the Christian god that was forced upon them. 

 

Adina felt Dana jump as the carriage halted before the closest one of the ships and the men who led the horses of the carriage turned to them and helped them down. The princess chose to turn her gaze to the people on the ships as her father's men began carrying the chests and some of the Northmen carried them back to their ships, giving the two women curious stares, some even laughed.  
The sight of the raiders wasn't unfamiliar to Adina. She had seen the same hairstyles and clothes and hardened faces on some of her own people and on the Kievan Rus that sometimes passed through their borders.

 

They were blonde or platinum haired and tall, though their skin was weathered from the sun. Dana clutched Adina's skirts as the men got back upon the carriage and began driving away and Adina thought she heard one of them say her name, but she didn't respond, only stepped towards the longboat. 

 

A wooden bridge was soon lowered and she stepped on the decks with Dana still trailing behind her with her dress between her fists.  
Adina saw him the moment that her feet touched the creaking wood of the ship. He stood taller than any man she had ever seen with hair shaved at the sides and the rest braided down his back in strands that were almost white. His eyes were as blue as the depths of the Adriatic and he looked her and Dana over with a gaze that made her want to run. 

She recognized him as the leader of all the moment she noticed him. 

 

Beside him, a little shorter, stood another man, judging by the embroidery on his clothes, also very powerful, with a face that was colored blue with ink designs all over his cheeks and forehead. He looked at her differently, with dark eyes and lowered head, but she didn't let her eyes linger on him for long. She focused on the leader instead, for if anyone would decide her fate there, that would surely be him. 

"So you are the king's daughter?" The leader asked stepping forward until his frame towered over her like a bear's.

Before she could respond however, he grabbed her face and tilted her chin from side to side, as if inspecting her from every angle. It hurt her pride to be looked at like some animal and his hands felt rough and calloused, but she met his eyes head on.  
The blue of his gaze stopped and focused on hers before removing his hands from her jaw.  
"Yes." She said in his tongue and his eyes slanted in suspicion. 

 

"What is your name?" He glowered down at her and her lip trembled as she tried to respond. 

 

"Adina." She clenched her jaw and felt Dana tremble behind her. If he doesn't recognize her as a worthy prize, she was as good as dead and all would be in vain.

 

The enormous man in front of her grabbed her face again and she flinched. She felt his fingers dig into her cheeks and she opened her mouth. He was counting her teeth, she realised. Adina seethed in anger as the men around them laughed and started talking. The ink-faced man from before said something to the leader who turned away from her and all began laughing again.  
"What are they saying?" She turned to Dana who answered her with trembling lips.

 

"He said the man was trying to see if you could open wide enough for him." The slave's pale face reddened and lowered to the ground, refusing to meet Adina's eyes.

 

She clenched her fists and felt her nails digging into her palms. She wouldn't be subjected to this. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, the leader turned back to her and pointed at Dana.

 

"Who is she?" He asked. 

 

"She is my slave. My father sent her with me." She replied through her teeth slowly, trying to form the words correctly.

 

"Why? We have enough slaves here," He cocked his head to the side, his braid falling down his shoulder.

 

"She speaks your language better."

 

At this, the leader let out a bark of laughter. "Then why was it only you talking?" He said, eyeing the obviously terrified slave.

 

"I.. I was sent to teach the princess, s- she doesn't know enough." Dana uttered when Adina nudged her. She had to prove herself useful to avoid being seen as unimportant.

 

"Very well," he concluded and turned back to his people. “but there is one more matter to discuss, if I am not mistaken.”

More hoots and laughter resonated from the Northmen as he spoke.

 

“The princess must choose!” he declared much to the crew’s amusement while Adina’s stomach churned with nausea. She must make a decision and pick the man who would take her to her new home in their cold and barren lands. 

 

“So,” the leader continued, his braid swishing as he turned to her once more, giving her a look so cold and unwelcoming it chilled her to the bones. “who do you choose as your lord husband? Here are my captains: Leif, Eirik, Stridjolf, Gunnar and Halfdan.”

 

She looked over each presented man; the first had an unkempt red beard and wore a simple brown tunic over leather breeches with an axe on his hip, the second was of broad shoulders and massive body, but his hair and beard were white as snow, the third captain was probably younger than her and kept his eyes on the horizon with one hand on the hilt of his short sword. The last man was the one with inked cheeks and probably the wealthiest of the four, but something about him just wasn’t right to the princess – the look in his dark eyes disturbed her much more than the silent glowering of their leader. 

 

“Have you made your decision yet, or do they need to pull their breeches down as well?” the blonde man asked and her cheeks reddened in embarrassment, but her eyes turned to him. 

 

He was at the peak of his strength, both mental and physical, she judged as they awaited her decision. His tunic was bright turquoise and embroidered to details, and on his fingers glimmered various golden rings adorned with bright gemstones.

The decision could potentially cost her whole life along with her future.

 

“You,” the word slipped past her lips and the men grew silent, all turning their eyes to their leader, who didn’t even widen his blue eyes at her decision, but stayed still as he was. 

 

The only reaction she seemed to get out of him was that he curled the fingers of his left hand into a fist and his gaze turned even colder than before, cutting through her until he could see into her very soul.  
“Very well.” He said at last and proceeded to go below the decks, leaving his men stunned to silence.

 

Then, a man yelled something she didn’t understand and all of them turned back to their chores, the rejected captains grumbling as they crossed to other ships.  
The one called Halfdan passed beside her and whispered in her ear: “You did yourself no favor, princess.”

His breath on her face caused her to shudder, but a sigh of relief escaped her once he continued to the other end of the vessel.  
She may not have chosen the best man, but she chose the strongest, as was expected in her culture and she wouldn’t back down on their contract with her father. Now, she was to be wed and all would be well, or as well as it could be.

 

 

********

 

Bjorn paced his cabin as the ship set sail again. Nothing had worked in his favor in the last few days, not since his men had won over the Dalmatians. Their king didn’t send more horses, nor offer them land; he sent his daughter instead and all would be fine with that had he not insisted on one condition. And had the princess not chosen him of all his people to wed her. Now he had no choice but to honour the agreement and take her as his wife and also suffer the consequences of doing something as rash as that. She was a princess after all, he couldn’t treat her as a slave.

 

The knocking at the door made him stop pacing and he called enter. Halfdan came in and Bjorn faced him, recognising the challenge and disapproval in his eyes. 

“What do you think you are doing, Bjorn Ironside?” the Viking asked with narrowed eyes. “Do you not remember that you have a wife in Kattegat already? And sons? You shouldn’t have let her choose.”

 

“It was part of the agreement. What do you think my men would have said if I chose to overlook the contract of a king? What reason would they have to think that I would honour my agreement with them?” he spat at Halfdan angrily. “I will think about this. And remember what I have told you of Torvi. I value her as a mother to my children, but that is the end of it.”

 

“As you say. Those are your affairs.” Halfdan concluded. “What shall we do with the princess? Will she stay on the decks with the others?”

 

Bjorn considered his words for a moment. “No, have a tent built to separate her from the others. She can share it with that slave of hers.”

 

When the door to his cabin was shut, Bjorn chose that moment to sit down on his bedpost and try to find a solution to his problems. 

Not after much thinking, he concluded that the core of all his ailments was the woman; that Dalmatian princess who held her head so proudly. She had nerves of steel, even Bjorn could tell that by her steady gaze and calm posture even though he was sure that she was panicking inside. He admired that and viewed it as strength, but he couldn’t make her aware of that.  
She was still his enemy and a threat to his fleet. If he was to marry her off to someone else, he should have done it already. But if the men started to fight over her, he could do little to protect her and then the contract would be dishonoured and Bjorn couldn’t continue on his journey much further. The piece of sea he needed his fleet to cross in order to sail even more south was heavily guarded by ships of numerous kingdoms and he was sure that none of them would grant him passage if they somehow came to know of the failed contract.

 

Then, there was the main reason he couldn’t just marry her.  
It wasn’t his men; no, they all heard the terms of the offer and had heartily agreed to them. It was neither the Princess’s looks nor Bjorn’s capability. It was Torvi, just as Halfdan pointed out. As much as he didn’t like it, Bjorn was still married to her and even though they ceased to share their bed long ago, they still had children together.  
And he remembered the deeds of his own father very clearly, when he chose to keep Aslaug at his side and Lagertha left him, along with Bjorn. He wouldn’t want any of his children to feel abandoned or unloved by him, but still, he supposed the situation was different. His father didn’t have to marry Aslaug, he had no obligation but to provide safety for their child whereas, the wellbeing of the whole fleet lay on Bjorn’s shoulders and his decision. Still, he couldn’t marry the Princess if him and Torvi weren’t divorced. But even if he did, he wouldn’t be the first to do so and things could always be settled when they returned home.


	2. Chapter 2

Adina's prayers were answered, but much too late. The vicious storm that raged over the Adriatic threatened to throttle the Viking fleet. In different circumstances, the captive princess would rejoice, but now Veles's contempt washed against her as well.

 

The flimsy tent the Northmen had so generously built on their deck did little to diminish the freezing waves of the Northern wind. Had it not been for the warmth of Adina's slave - Dana, the princess would be afraid of the howling storm chilling her to the bones. Luckily, the two girls could huddle together and lay in relative comfort.

 

Although Dana was long asleep, exhausted by the day's many trials, Adina found it hard to try and close her eyes even for a moment. Every time she would lower her lids, she saw him.  
The merciless glowering of the strange man and his frightening words kept her awake and chilled her more than the tempest outside.   
What was she thinking?   
Choosing him seemed as a good idea and the best way of coming to her decision, but the princess regretted it in the darkness of the tent.

 

What if he felt insulted or if she hurt his pride by evading his offer? Would he treat her as a brood mare or even worse? She knew less than nothing about this man, except for the fact that he was the Viking leader. She didn't even know what kind of a man he was. Was he rash and impulsive, arrogant and agressive, or maybe calculated and cruel?  
Adina couldn't decide which was worse.

 

But she knew that the worst thing was the fact that he almost didn't acknowledge her choice. He didn't speak of even intending to marry her, didn't even seek her out in the night.   
Did that mean that he chose to overlook the contract? What if he killed her and tossed her body into the churning waters? She would be damned forever.

 

The princess huffed and turned on her side, facing the sleeping form of her loyal servant. Dana was her only ally on the whole of the Adriatic. Not even her family cared about what became of her anymore.

 

The olive skinned slave muttered something in her dreams and Adina felt her lips stretch into a smile, but it soon turned into a grimace. Did she doom her friend's fate as well as her own?

 

That night, Adina dreamt of an old shriveled woman pointing at her naked form, accusing the princess of damning her life by forcing her to wed the man who killed her children, her husband, her brothers. The man who raped her sisters and dearest daughters. The man who caused her misery and downfall.

 

*************

 

Dawn came and the storm stifled its devastating cries, but Adina did not dare peek outside the tent. 

 

Even though she was shaken by the nightmare, it wasn't fear that held her back. It was hate and grim determination. The princess was resolved to never become the woman haunting her dreams and the only way she could evade that fate was if she stayed strong.

 

Adina woke her slave with a firm shake of the girl's shoulder and had her brush and braid her hair. Then the princess did the same to Dana and the two dressed in silence. 

 

"We should go outside," the princess spoke and Dana's eyes snapped to her. "they will give us food and water."

 

The slave eyed the entrance of the tent and bit the inside of her cheek. She almost looked like she would start crying, but Adina had no time for anyone's tears.

 

"Yes, princess," Dana uttered and lowered her head.

 

"And you must be the one to ask them," Adina continued with a deep breath. "otherwise they will not see your value, other than what you have between your legs. Do you understand?" 

 

"I do," she replied and the princess opened up the tent, stepping into the morning light.

 

As soon as her leather slippers touched the wooden deck, all heads turned to her. Men and women stared as the two foreign girls made their way across the ship and Adina's lungs felt shallow.  
From whom would she ask food and water? Surely not the nearest man she found.

 

"What now, princess?" Dana hissed and her eyes swept over the raiders, as if looking for the quickest way to rid herself of their presence. 

 

"Princess," a voice boomed from Adina's left and she whipped around to face the tattooed warrior who threatened her the day before.

 

But now, instead of the menacing look he previously wore, his lips formed a wide smile and a benevolent expression adorned his face. He seemed nothing like the man from before.

 

"Come, we need to discuss something of importance," he declared, still smiling.

 

"The princess has no business with you," Adina was almost shocked to hear Dana speak so brazenly. The girl was shaking with fear almost a moment ago, but now she spoke with the authority Adina only wished to posess.

 

The man's smile wavered and his eyes slanted, but he only chuckled at the slave's harsh words.  
His reply was said much too quickly for Adina to understand, but Dana understood well enough.

 

The slave gestured to her mistress as she spoke rapidly, the words that fell from her mouth clipped and guttural, causing the man's expression to darken.  
He looked Dana over and responded coldly, but his words sounded forced.  
Adina caught the word 'leader' and Dana nodded, seemingly satisfied with his response.

 

"The man says his ally, Bjorn Ironside, wants to discuss the matter of your agreement over food and drinks," the slave translated. "we should follow him now, he claims to be the leader's brother in arms."

 

Adina shifted her gaze to the man, pretending to consider his words, for she was in too much of a need for food and drinks to decline it. She nodded finally and the man turned with one last penetrating glance towards her. 

 

The princess said nothing as she and her slave followed the Viking to the enormous tent at the longship's stern where the leader's quarters were.  
Bjorn, Adina reminded herself. That was his name. And what had the man called him? Jarnsida, she supposed it must have meant Ironside. Why Ironside?

 

The tent flapped open under the inked man's hand and revealed a surprisingly well lit amount of space. The wooden surface of the ship was covered by a richly made carpet Adina knew to be specific of the Sicilian trade and a couple of cushions of the same manufacture strewn across the floor.

 

At the far end of the tent, where countless furs laid carelessly thrown over a primitive bedpost, sat the man himself. Bjorn Ironside.  
Although the lines of his face were obscured by the shadow of the tent, Adina could never mistake his height, or the massive planes of his shoulders.

 

Two women sat on either side of him, one of bronze skin, nearly naked except for a fur loincloth, and the other fair skinned and of flaming hair dressed in full armour. The oriental woman held a tray with food in one hand and was plucking grapes with the other.   
Both looked over Adina with almost identical sneers as she entered the tent.

 

"Halfdan," Bjorn spoke with a welcoming gesture of his hand.

The man that lead the princess to him nodded at his brother in arms and seated himself on one of the brightly colored cushions. Dana and her mistress remained standing at the tent's opening, vulnerable to their scorning looks.

 

"Sit." Was the only thing Bjorn said, commanding them as if they were dogs.

The fact that she obeyed made her much more angry than the dismissive tone of his voice. Dana followed her example and the men seemed satisfied, for they turned their eyes from them and started conversing.

 

The two men spoke in hushed tones and the armoured woman piped in here and there, but Adina couldn't comprehend a word they said. Whatever it was the three of them were discussing, it came out urgent and secretive.  
Adina couldn't do much except clench her jaw in annoyance and try to ignore the grumbling of her empty stomach at the sight of warm food.

 

Should she just eat whatever she wanted? The man said they were to discuss something over food and water.   
She shot a glance at the leader who was still talking and decided to eat.

 

Once warm broth passed through her throat she couldn't stop eating, but she did so with apprehension about her manners. She wouldn't show him how starved she was or how much strength it took from her.  
She would show him she was as strong as he was. If not physically, then mentally.

 

Adina was so caught up with the thought that she did not notice the others were now quiet until Dana nudged her side.  
Her eyes snapped to the man at the head of the table and he was watching her. His eyes wore the same expression as the day before; they were cold and unwelcoming just like their homeland surely was.

 

She looked him straight in the eyes, trying not to flinch under his glare, and then turned to Dana, whispering what she wanted to ask him.

 

"The Princess would like to know what are your intentions with her, now that the agreement has to be seen through," Dana said, but Bjorn's eyes didn't leave Adina's face.

 

He seemed insulted by her words, she could see it in the way his jaw clenched.

 

"Well what do you think?" he spat. "The agreement was that you choose the man who will wed you and you did. Now you shall be wed."

 

Dana unnecessarily translated what he said, but Adina already had an answer.

 

"I did not mean to insult you," she spoke slowly, fisting the fabric of her dress. "I couldn't be sure what you intend to do with me by your words yesterday."

 

Bjorn didn't even acknowledge that he heard her, but he turned towards the two women beside him and sent them out with a gesture of his hand.  
Halfdan was the last to leave, looking over his shoulder at her in suspicion.   
Once only Adina and her slave were left with Bjorn, he looked at her expectantly and she gulped.

 

He wanted her alone.

 

She nodded to Dana who stood up and left the tent with one last look towards her mistress.  
What now?

 

"Why did your father send you here?" he asked over the tent and Adina was taken aback at the question.

 

She was both surprised and angry, but not because he had asked her. She was angry because it reminded her of how weak her father was.

 

"Why does it matter?" she said, spite coming out of her mouth. "I am here now and I want to know what is to become of me."

 

He was quiet once again, looking at the trays with food rather than her. Adina tried not to let anticipation get the best of her, but it was hard, seeing as her life depended on the man before her.

 

"When do you intend to marry me?" she dared to ask when he offered no answer.

 

Once again, he didn't answer her, but stood up and walked around the tent, seeimingly deep in thought.

 

"We will be at sea for another year, maybe longer. I would say you have enough time to get married. Why would you rush it?" he asked.

 

He was hiding something. Adina could always tell when a person was lying and she sensed it now. Why would he postpone it? She needed the wedding to take place as soon as possible to ensure her safety and position in the Viking fleet. 

Then, she would kill him.

"You could die tomorrow and what would become of me then? Unless you have a reason to, I do not see the need to postpone it," she said and he eyed her warily.

 

"No reason," he spread his arms, as if that proved everything. "if you wish to get married tomorrow, it will be done."

 

That man. He was as changing as the wind, jumping from one conclusion to the other, changing his thoughts faster than the tides. It made her all the more suspicious. 

 

She nodded after a pause and he nodded back before leaving the tent himself.

 

********

 

Bjorn was angry. No, he was livid.

 

How come that woman knew his every secret and they hadn't even spoken properly? How did she know he was hiding something? She was a witch, a voice whispered. The King sent her to curse your fleet.

 

He put those thoughts aside, he wasn't going to assume she was a witch based off what he thought she knew. It was stupid.

 

But how was he going to settle this with Torvi? He couldn't just go back home to divorce her and then simply return to exploring the South. He needed a solution, now. And the only one he could think of was to marry her without Torvi's knowledge. He would be a Viking with two wives.

 

But the Mediterranean called to him. The desire to sail further South overpowered any respect he had for Torvi. The Princess was his way to the rest of the world and he wanted to see it.

 

He would marry her tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3

Adina was to be wed on the twentieth day of the third month in the year, the Spring equinox, on the exact day of Komoeditsa - a day that celebrated their old god Veles. The festivities would ensure the god's mercifullness at sea and health of their cattle, but she wouldn't be able to take part in it.

 

The day before her wedding, Adina could hardly sustain her nervousness. Flashbacks of her previous wedding wouldn't leave her mind as she made her way across deck. She wondered if she was strong enough to withold another marriage.

 

She was a widow, although she didn't have any wish to say so to her future husband. She still didn't know what was the Viking opinion on widowed women. Maybe he wouldn't want to marry her if he knew she belonged to another man. Maybe they would exile her from their fleet and return to wage war on her father's coasts.

 

She simply couldn't risk it.

 

The wind carried her hair and linen skirts when it hit her that it was probably the last time she would feel the soft caress of the Adriatic breeze and breathe the familiar pine scented air. It was all she had known her whole life and now it would all change.

 

The Viking fleet would first sail South to try and pillage the Byzantine Empire before turning their sails to home. The Northern lands would be cold and the weather harsh, she had no doubts about that.

 

But what Adina dreaded more than the eventual arrival to her new home was the first night after her wedding. What if he never touched her? What if it was all a plot to murder her?   
The more she thought about it, the more her stomach churned. 

 

The princess was trying to locate Dana, but although the ship wasn't that big, it was still full with warriors and her slave was nowhere to be found. She decided to head back to her tent, but before she could do so, Adina noticed a woman approaching her from the other side of the longship.

 

It was the Viking woman from the tent, red hair resembling the heat of a fire and eyes that held a flame of their own. She looked fierce and she was a warrior, but Adina wanted nothing more than to avoid any sort of contact with the woman. Something about her unsettled the princess, but maybe she was wrong to rely on her first impression so heavily.

 

The redhead approached her nonetheless, her shoulders squared and chin held high. She stopped a few steps from her and cleared her throat, a hand resting on her leather belt.

 

"You're the princess." It wasn't a question, but the woman still expected some sort of answer from Adina.

 

She wasn't sure what the woman wanted from her.

 

"I am Adina," the princess said carefully while the Viking warrior nodded.

 

"Heilsvinda." The woman introduced herself and looked over her shoulder before coming a step closer.

 

"I thought it would be best if you and I came to know each other before you marry the Ragnarsson," she continued, something akin to a smile dancing on her lips.

 

"I'm not going to marry Ragnarsson," Adina said, confused to how the woman could possibly have mistaken her own leader for someone else. Or perhaps she was the one who was mistaken about him this whole time.

 

To the princess's astonishment, Heilsvinda threw her head back and laughed boisterously, like Adina had just told her a hilarious joke. Her white teeth glimmered as she laughed, hands over her belly.

 

"Of course you are," she exclaimed once she stopped chuckling. "you should be very proud of yourself, if you ask me."

 

Not really sure what the warrior maiden was talking about, Adina made a move to walk away from her, bit Heilsvinda stood in her way.

 

"Anyway, I am the only married woman on this ship and as such, I will be preparing you for the wedding. I understand it is going to be on the morrow." she said and Adina looked at her in confusion.

 

"It is a custom that the new bride should be instructed by a wife, since you have no family in this fleet, and learn the rituals of the wedding ceremony." Heilsvinda explained.

 

It did little to ease Adina's nerves, but at least it assured her of the wedding taking place. Their leader surely wouldn't waste a warrior's time for nothing. At least she hoped so.

 

"We should start right away," the Viking woman stated, stony faced all of a sudden. "you have much to learn."

 

The two women found Dana already back at the tent, eating a piece of fish from a wooden bowl. She stood up and wiped her mouth once they entered, shooting a suspicious glance towards Heilsvinda.

 

"Who is she?" Dana asked her mistress in their language. 

 

"This is Heilsvinda," the princess switched to Norse, only to assure the Viking they meant no ill will towards her. "she will teach me about the wedding."

 

Dana looked her over once again, her eyes remaining distrustful as the warrior maiden started to take off her armour. She discarded her heavy leather jerkin and a piece of chainmail, leaving her in a brightly colored tunic and men's breeches.

 

Heilsvinda sat in the center of the tent and looked expectantly at the princess. She mirrored her actions and sat so they were face to face.

 

"How old are you?" the Viking woman blurted, taking her red hair out of the braid that was previously adorning her scalp.

 

Adina watched her in silence, caught off guard by her direct question. The woman's rashness and bold attitude made her want to ease off a little bit, but the voices of men outside prevented her. The lack of privacy on the ship made the princess wary about any talk of herself and she imagined it would be a nightmare once she was married.

 

"Why?" Adina asked the warrior, chin raised in a challenge. 

 

The red-haired woman rolled her eyes at the question, and leaned on her elbows, practically getting into the princess's face.

 

"Braid it." Heilsvinda commanded instead of answering and gestured to her hair.

 

For the Dalmatian princess, the day was nothing but an endless circle of confusion that caused her anxiety. What did she mean now: 'braid it'? Why should she? The woman had just taken it out of the braid of her own accord. Was she testing her?

 

"Who are you?" Adina questioned, arrogance seeping easily into her voice. It was almost natural for her to look down on commoners since it was more comfortable for her - to pretend that the woman was nothing more than a simple farm girl.

 

"Heilsvinda." the Viking said, a frown creasing her forehead. "Did you not understand me?"

 

"I meant," the princess straightened her back. "who are you to command me? I am the princess of this coast and the only person standing between your men and further death."

 

Heilsvinda wasn't glad to hear this. Her eyes narrowed and her mouth turned into a scowl. She appeared to be unfazed by the show Adina was putting up.

 

"As I said," she spat. "I am Heilsvinda and the only one offering you a means of survival here. But if you say anything against me or my people again, I will have no problem leaving you to fend for yourself."

 

After that, Adina held her tongue and the two women glared at each other, before Heilsvinda repeated the command. Braid it.   
The princess stood and knelt behind the woman's back, gathering the strands and starting to weave them together into a familiar pattern. She caught Dana's disturbed eyes a few times. The slave had no idea what was happening and why her mistress was suddenly obeying a heathen woman.

 

But the princess was no stranger to hiding one's true intentions, she kept quiet because it suited her the most, but when the time was right, she would free herself of the dreadful man and people that were to become hers. 

So she finished the braid with one final tug at the fiery hair of the warrior and sat back on her heels while Heilsvinda passed a hand over it, inspecting its texture. After her hand reached the end of the braid, she started unbraiding it again.

 

"What are you doing?" Adina asked, but it came out as more of a warning. What kind of game was this?

 

"You did it wrong."

 

"And how was I supposed to do it?" she said incredulously. "It is just a braid."

 

Heilsvinda looked as though she might laugh, her gaze was full of irony. She only gestured to her hair again.

 

"Do it again," she said. "this time closer to the scalp. It needs to hold in battle."

 

"What does this have to do with my wedding?" Adina narrowed her eyes at the woman, but started tugging the hair into place nonetheless.

 

"The braid holds much more significance to us than just a hairstyle. It is more than that, especially to a man." Heilsvinda explained. "The longer a man's braid is, the more his masculinity and strength are shown. And it is a wife's duty to braid and unbraid her husband's hair."

 

Adina only nodded and her thoughts wandered back to Bjorn and how his platinum hair reached well past his shoulders, almost to his mid back. It was probably even longer unbraided. She was curious to see it down.

 

"Do they never cut their hair?" she wondered aloud, finishing the braid.

 

"They do, but it is a sign of grief." Heilsvinda nodded as she passed her hand over the braid, seemingly satisfied with how it felt. "It is usually done when a member of the family dies."

 

The princess went back to sit opposite of the Viking and beside Dana while Heilsvinda looked around the tent.  
"This was better, a few more times and you will be good," she said, speaking of the braid. "but you will have time to learn. Now it is more important we go back to more urgent things."

 

Adina shifted where she sat and let anticipation build inside her. She had heard some monstrous things about Viking customs and now she wondered if they were true. Some said they drank the blood of goats to ensure the bride's fertility.

 

"Don't you have any weapons here?" Heilsvinda's voice tore the princess from her thoughts.

 

"No?" Adina said, looking over the tent too. "Why? Do I have to fight someone at my wedding?"

 

"No, kjána," the Viking's eyes shone with laughter. "but you will need a weapon of sentimental value that you will exchange with your husband. It is a sign of loyalty."

 

She could live with that. 

 

"But I do not have any," she said.

 

"Don't worry, I am here to provide you with everything you will need for the wedding." Heilsvinda said. "Like the clothes and the crown. You will also have to take a bath, but we will see to it tomorrow."

 

The princess accepted her words with a frown. It didn't do well for a bride to borrow everything for her wedding, according to her people. It indicated poorness and instability, but she could only hope that it would be overlooked due to the circumstances.

 

"Of course, there will be a feast and Thor's hammer to place on your lap before that," the Viking continued. "but the ceremony is not that hard. You should only follow his actions and repeat the words after him. It would also be good if you were accustomed to our gods."

 

"I know them," Dana piped up from her spot in the corner. "I will teach her."

 

"Good." Heilsvinda nodded with approval. "Now I will see if I can get you some whale fat."

 

And with that, the warrior maiden was gone from the tent, leaving Adina even more confused than before.

 

"What do I do with whale fat?" she asked Dana, but the slave only shrugged.

 

"How should I know? I've never even seen a whale," was the only thing she said.


	4. Chapter 4

Bjorn watched the red sun set behind the blue sea he grew accustomed to. The Adriatic was nothing like the seas he used to sail in his homeland. This sea was warm, its depths a crystal blue, in some parts even turqoise and its surface was often caressed by a pleasant breeze.   
He liked the humid air, but after a while, it became suffocating, making him wish for the brisk Northern air he grew up breathing.

 

However, he was sure he would not see the Northern seas for quite some time now. The wedding that was just about to begin ensured it.

 

He waited for his new bride on the stern of the ship, beside a priestess that would perform the ceremony. His men were all gathered around the deck, but they had cleared a path for the princess to walk down to her new husband.   
There were no festive decorations or music in honour of their union, but none of it made it less real. There would be a feast afterwards and the witnesses for the bedding.

 

The axe in Bjorn's grip was heavy and had a used edge. It was wicked of him to present the weapon that killed many of the princess's people to her as a sign of loyalty, but there wasn't a single weapon that hadn't done the same.  
He doubted it would make a difference.

 

In the last rays of the dying sun, Bjorn finally saw her emerge from her tent, a woman walking on either side of her.  
The princess walked with her back straight and nose in the air, like she was proudly going into battle. The spear in her hand only enhanced the thought and Bjorn gripped his axe tighter.

 

Heilsvinda the shieldmaiden walked by her right and her own slave followed to her left. He hoped the woman had been instructed in their ways and that she wouldn't object to their marriage. Although he supposed it was a little too late for that.

 

The princess stopped a foot from him, her eyes blazing to his fearlessly. They were a striking azure, compelling him to forget about everything else except her. She was mesmerising, he would never deny that, but Bjorn could control himself. He was strong and he couldn't let her have that kind of power over him.

 

She was still his enemy.

 

The priestess began the ritual, demanding for the two of them to exchange the weapons in their grasps. Bjorn wasn't sure if the princess understood what the ritual represented or if she even knew what was expected of them to do, judging by her shifty gaze that fluttered between him and the priestess.

 

He stepped closer to her, raising the axe to pass it into her hand, but she didn't do the same, only looked at the edge of the offered weapon with her jaw set. Not sure what to do, Bjorn simply took the spear from her and placed the axe in its stead. It wasn't right, but it had to be done.

 

The priestess nodded encouragingly to them and looked to Bjorn.

 

"Bjorn Ironside, do you swear by the gods that you want to marry this woman?" she asked and his eyes returned to the princess.

 

Now that she was closer to him, he noticed something that nagged at him.  
Her skin was warm-toned and sunkissed, spotless except for a few freckles across her left cheek and Bjorn wondered how young she was. She surely looked younger than him. Was she still a maiden?

He swallowed and turned to the priestess. Why was he nervous?

 

"I swear," he said. "with the gods as my witnesses."

 

The gathered men and women hooted and laughed with approval, but the princess looked disturbed by it. She averted her gaze from them and focused on the priestess instead.

 

"And do you, Adina, swear by the gods that you want to marry this man?" 

 

Bjorn wasn't sure what to make of the way she shifted the handle of the axe in her hand. The look in her eyes was as if she wished to hack him to pieces. He wasn't surprised by it. He was the killer of her people, maybe even members of her family. He deserved her hatred.

 

"I swear." Her voice rang clear and the sun tinted her face and eyes red. 

 

The blood that the priestess blessed them with almost blended in with her freckles and Bjorn had the urge to see if they would remain visible if he smeared the blood across her face.

 

"Then you are married!" the priestess declared to general joy of the raiders who toasted to their leader and his new wife.

 

As the feast began, Bjorn and the princess sat at the stern of the ship, the rest of the people sitting down around them. A wooden figurine resemblimg the hammer of Thor was placed in Adina's lap and they shared a cup of sweetened ale as was expected.

 

But all through the feast, they hadn't exchanged a word. The princess sat beside him, cold as a statue, looking straight ahead and Bjorn slouched in his seat, a scowl on his face.  
He could only imagine how the bedding was going to go if she remained that way. She was only making it harder for herself.

 

Just when he turned his head to address her, Halfdan sat beside him and clasped him on the shoulder.

 

"Brother," Halfdan's lips stretched into a hungry smile. "I have to congratulate you on such a lively young bride."

 

Some people around them laughed at the sarcastic remark and Bjorn rolled his eyes.

 

"Livelier than yours, I suppose," he countered and Halfdan laughed, although his eyes cooled significantly.

 

"All in due time, brother," he said, lifting a cup of ale to his mouth. "I wouldn't consider myself luckier than you by far. A second wife and she looks like that!"

 

Bjorn wasn't sure if it was the ale talking, or if it was only Halfdan's jealousy peeking through, but he knew that he didn't like the reckless words that came through his mouth. He only shrugged, hoping that it would end his mindless chatter and turned to the princess.

 

She was looking down at her barely touched plate and he couldn't be certain if she understood what Halfdan said or not. He hoped for the latter.

 

"Come on Bjorn, the sun is already long gone," another of his captains, Eirik piped in from his seat. "we never took you for a patient man!"

 

The rest of the gathered people bellowed their approval and started shouting for witnesses to be chosen.  
The princess's eyes turned shifty with nervousness as they cheered for the six chosen. 

 

Bjorn stood up, offering his wife a hand and she took it, straightening the fabric of her dress and trying not to look at him. He was starting to like this less and less. 

 

The rest of his raiders burst into a fitting song 'Vanner og Frander' as the two made their way to the tent. The witnesses trailed behind them, spattering their backs with sacrificial blood. Adina didn't flinch once.

 

Bjorn flipped open the wing of his tent and they entered hand in hand, while the witnesses remained outside and the feast continued on the other end of the ship.

 

The princess let go of his hand the moment the tent was closed and walked to the fur bedpost, not looking at him once. He followed her, watching the honey gold waves of her hair trail down her back.   
She stopped at the foot of his bed and took off her belt and dress, finally turning to look at him when she was completely undressed.

 

He tried not to let his eyes linger too long on her body, nevermind the fact that they were practically married. He felt obliged to hold her blue gaze to see which one of them would back out first. She was proud even as she stood naked in front of him, but bowed her head under the intensity of his eyes.

 

Bjorn started to take off his own clothes and she laid down on the furs, watching him in silence. The sounds of laughter and drunken singing from outside were the only thing to be heard, beside the sea colliding with the hull of their ship.

 

Her gaze never left him as he climbed over her and trailed a hand over her stomach. Goosebumps rose on the skin he touched and Bjorn felt vulnerable under her unflinching eyes.

 

He grasped her arm and slowly turned her over like a doll. She supported herself with her arms and a shudder passed through her body as Bjorn eased himself inside her. There was nothing even resembling any romantic intentions in their coupling, it was strictly business and Bjorn didn't allow himself to turn it into anything more than that.

 

He was done in a matter of minutes and rolled onto his side, turning his back to her. If she had anything to say, he wouldn't know. 

 

He closed his eyes and sleep overtook him, thanks to the ale pleasantly dulling his senses. But his first wedding night was far from pleasant, for he dreamt of the princess cutting him to pieces with his own axe.


	5. Chapter 5

Adina didn't sleep that night. Even as the sun rose, she stayed in bed long after Bjorn had woken up and left his tent. The furs where he laid were still warm with the remaining heat from his body. She remembered the same heat of his skin on hers from the night before.

He had fucked her like an animal. As if she was some toothless whore whose face he couldn't stand to look at. Maybe he found her so ugly he'd rather press her face into the furs than look her in the eye. 

She was insulted. Who did he think he was? As far as Adina was concerned, he was nothing more than a thief and a murderer who became the leader of his people because he was the wealthiest. But isn't that why she chose him?

She wanted stability, somebody strong who could provide for her and their family. If she truly wanted to kill him, she would have chosen someone weaker, someone she could overpower. But Adina was thinking long term. She was thinking of his seed taking root in her belly and the child that could be born. 

The princess wasn't as young, or as inexperienced as she looked and she knew her way around the world. Adina was taught to always consider the best outcomes for her and her family and marrying Bjorn was it. She was going to ensure his loyalty and protection, but she couldn't do that if he continued fucking her from behind.

She needed to become more accepting, twisting her bad luck to her advantage. Adina made a mistake by remaining cold on her wedding night, but her nerves got the worst of her. Still, it wasn't too late to make up for it. 

They had time, as Bjorn himself had already declared.

So the princess stood up and got dressed, combing through her hair with her fingers to make herself look presentable and left the tent. She was going to find Dana, but ran into him instead.

Just when she came to the conclusion of accepting him as her husband, she was once again deterred by his unwelcoming stance and the arrogant look in his eyes. It was almost like becoming man and wife meant little to nothing to him. As if it barely changed anything between them.

He nodded instead of greeting her and continued to the other end of the ship, barely even acknowledging her presence. Adina clenched her jaw and tilted her chin upwards, deciding to head back to the tent she was given before being wedded.

But another unwelcome surprise already awaited her on that accursed ship. The tent wasn't there anymore which meant Dana was at the Vikings' mercy and had nowhere to go. Adina cursed her husband, his fleet and herself under her breath as she frantically tried to find Dana among the raiders.

Not a single familiar face came into her view and she almost wanted to cry. Without Dana, she was completely alone.

So the princess turned to the only other person she knew on the vessel and that was Bjorn. He lifted his eyebrows in surprise as she interrupted him and the man he was talking with at the oars.

"What is it?" he asked, a flicker of curiosity sounding in his voice.

"It is my slave, Dana, I cannot find her anywhere," Adina said, resisting the urge to bow her head under his stare.

His eyes always felt heavy on her, but now that they were man and wife, his eyes made her uncomfortable with the intensity and power he regarded her with. She was scared that should she meet his gaze, she would get lost in its blue depths.

"I sent her to the other ship, to train with some of the shield maidens. She needs to be ready for the next battle, otherwise I have no use of her." 

"But she is my slave." Adina blurted, anger bubbling inside her. "She is not yours to command."

Bjorn shot a look at the other man and moved so that he was standing directly in front of her while she bit her tongue. She shouldn't have said that, but now it was too late to remedy that.

"Everyone in this fleet is mine to command," he stated. "even you."

The princess had plenty to say about that, but she chose not to. The nails on her left hand dug painfully into her palm as she clenched her fist as sort of a reminder not to snap at him. It was in her best interest to submit to him.

She raised her eyes to his and took a step closer to him. The closer she got, the taller he seemed to grow, but she was decided on not letting him intimidate her. She wouldn't openly contradict him, but she wouldn't be his puppet either.

"She could be of other use to you, even in battle," the princess said, changing her whole demeanor to appear more calm. "she is very skilled in the art of healing and she has already brought many men back to life. There is no need for her to be subjected to this... training."

Half of the sentence consisted of shameful lies, but Adina saw no other way of sparing her slave, her friend, from whatever torture this training consisted of. She knew that the Vikings were ruthless people and the manner in which they became that scared her. 

"If you say so," Bjorn inclined his head to her and she thought she saw a change in his eyes. They didn't seem that cold for a moment.

"Trust me on this," she touched his arm ever so lightly. "Dana is my responsibility and I know what is best for her, for the ones she serves."

The Viking looked at her for a moment longer, something strange in his blue eyes. Adina hoped it was respect and not desire. Either way, she would profit from it, whether he liked it or not.

Bjorn was looking at her as if seeing her for the very first time, and she wasn’t sure if that was good or bad. The wind rippled at her hair and whipped her face, but she stood tall in front of him, with no means to defend herself if he chose to attack. She was completely vulnerable to him. 

Should she be scared?

He was her enemy, as well as her husband.

Did he read too much of her carefully built façade? She was already on thin ice when it came to the Viking by asserting herself over him in choosing her husband.   
A few moments passed by between them and Adina wanted to pretend that Bjorn’s back wasn’t quite as rigid as it was before.

“I will have her fetched then,” he spoke finally and Adina fought back a sigh of relief. “she will remain in training, however.”

“But-“

“She will still be your personal slave, but I won’t have you looked after by someone who doesn’t know how to wield a shield and a sword.”

The princess was almost completely taken aback by this. She never expected him to care about her protection. Did he believe she was with child already?

Her hand involuntarily flew to her abdomen as he finished talking and his eyes were instantly drawn to the spot. She let it drop back to her side and try to pretend she was only adjusting her dress.

“I know how to wield a sword,” she cleared her throat and was satisfied with the Viking’s raised eyebrows.

He looked her over again and she did the same to him. Bjorn’s platinum hair was braided like before, but he was wearing a lighter tunic of burgundy colour, and his fingers weren’t adorned with expensive rings anymore. Only a simple metal bracelet shone on his left arm, over a bulging vein on the smooth, sun kissed skin.

“But you are Christian,” his curious words brought her back to the present. “I thought Christian women weren’t allowed to fight.”

Adina chuckled and looked at the floorboards of the ship beneath her bare feet. 

“I am not Christian,” she said with a smile. “if I was, I wouldn’t have married you in that manner. My family isn’t Christian either, although they were christened quite recently.”

“I do not understand you, woman,” Bjorn frowned down at her and her smile widened. “are these lands not a part of the Holy Roman Empire?”

“They are.” His frown deepened at her statement and the princess almost laughed out loud.

“There is a lot you don’t know about this part of the earth,” she said, her eyes crinkling with amusement. “we will have to establish some things later.”

“I agree.” He nodded, but his voice was still tinged with suspicion. 

Adina was resolved to have all his doubts about her dispersed come tomorrow.

***************************************

Bjorn wanted to slap himself. He had previously thought nothing of the manner of their wedding, had assumed she simply gave over under pressure and abandoned her tradition.   
But now he found out she wasn’t Christian at all. Somehow, that changed everything for him, from the way he looked at her to the way he now perceived her to dress herself and spend countless hours spinning red yarn she had somehow acquired.

With every new thing he learned about his new wife, Bjorn was more certain that she was a complete mystery to him. Her every answer raised two more questions in his mind he felt incredibly stupid asking her.

He struggled to put thoughts of Adina aside when she went back to their tent after a brief walk along the boat. It proved more difficult than he had anticipated, as for the rest of the day, Bjorn could think of little but her. What did she mean by ‘establishing some things’? 

But aside from his mind being ailed by constant wariness of the princess, he was now faced with more problems.

The passage his fleet needed to cross in order to quit the Adriatic Sea and sail further South-East was blocked. Bjorn couldn’t help but curse his wife’s fickle people. Apparently, their contract meant little to the Dalmatian King whose daughter he had wed the day before. 

So Bjorn was forced to hold council with Alva and her husband, along with the rest of his captains.   
From what the scouts had reported, it looked like they would have to fight their way out of the Adriatic.

Even if fighting was almost the most familiar and natural thing to Bjorn, he still dreaded facing his wife’s people. As opposed to them, the people Bjorn sailed with knew little of fighting on the sea. The scouts had said that their ships overpowered Bjorn’s fleet almost three to one and that was a risk the Ragnarsson didn’t intend to take.   
But that wasn’t all. The bastards were camped out along the Eastern coast as well, armed with longbows and crossbows alike.

If they failed to construct some kind of plan by the time they reached the passage, they would be trapped.

 

****************************************

 

Adina set the table in their tent herself, much to some woman’s astonishment. She had taken the meat and fish from the fleet’s provisions, along with some sort of hard bread and a handful of apples.   
She wished for wine instead of the bitter ale the Norsemen were so fond of, but there wasn’t any on the ship.

She lit the fat candles on the floor and straightened the Sicilian carpet on the floor. It was a fine thing, but already half-ruined by the humidness of the wood.

She arranged the fur pelts on the bed and mended the embroidered turquoise shirt Bjorn had worn on their wedding day, but discarded it on the floor carelessly.   
The Vikings’ inability to appreciate the obviously richly made items they stole was another thing that completely baffled the princess. 

Had she had some of the boldly coloured fabric when she was still living with her family, she would have been considered the luckiest woman in all of Dalmatia. 

As opposed to how they usually regarded her. 

All she had been to her father’s people was a poor girl, deprived of a husband whose death came much too soon and unable to deliver a healthy child to the world.  
Ah, yes; that was another thing to be dreaded in her new marriage. Pregnancy.

It wouldn’t surprise her to learn that her father had sent her deliberately to the Vikings, knowing she was most likely barren and unable to continue Bjorn’s line.

Despite her distaste for the Northmen, she wished to prove her father wrong. She had to think about the bigger picture now, not just her shattered pride. 

Bjorn entered the tent, finding Adina lost in thought on one of the cushions, a ball of red yarn on her lap. 

The princess looked up to see him acknowledge her with a brief nod before seating himself at the table, just next to her.   
If he found her efforts pleasing, he did not show it. 

Without another word, he started stuffing himself with food and Adina was almost grateful for another moment to sort her thoughts out.

“Why are you not eating?” Bjorn mumbled out with a frown. He put the slice of bread and meat in his hand back down and looked at her expectantly.

“I didn’t poison it.” She said flatly, but he still wasn’t eating.

Adina sighed, reached over the table and snatched the food from his plate, taking a bite of each and swallowing it before him.

“What?”

He kept staring at her in that strange way of his. She gulped the last piece of the food in her mouth with difficulty. His blue eyes still managed to unnerve her.

And then the most bizarre thing happened. Bjorn stared at her for a moment longer in all seriousness and then broke into a laugh. He shook his head, still smiling and then went back to eating.

Adina breathed a sigh of relief and put some food on her plate as well. 

"What did you mean before?" he asked before she had even put a piece of dried meat into her mouth. "That you were not Christian?"

"That I am of another faith," she said.

"But not mine?"

"No."

He seemed to ponder this, still chewing and Adina smiled at him. She was growing more accustomed to him and maybe his roughness was just a part of his culture. And now hers as well.

"Tell me about it," he demanded, his eyes reflecting the yellow of the candlelight. "do you have many gods?"

She wasn't going to eat much, it seemed.

"Yes, we do," she leaned back on her heels and crossed her arms in her lap. "but the most powerful of the gods is Perun, the Thunderer."

He raised his head a bit and a look of recognition dawned on his face.

"Thor is the name of the Thunderer. He is one of the Æsir, the strongest of them. He has a mighty hammer that strikes down thunder."

The princess giggled at the energetic tone of his voice. She never heard him speak like that, full of fervor and admiration.

"Thunder can't be stricken down by a hammer, everyone knows it." She butted in, a knowing smile on her glowing face. "Perun doesn't need a hammer to do it. He is so strong that a touch of his finger is enough to litter the skies with thunderbolts."

Bjorn opened his mouth to object, but then closed it, looking much more pensive than before.

"And the god of war? What is his name?" he asked, curiosity making him appear younger.

"Perun, of course," she stated. "I said he was the strongest, the best leader in battle. He cannot lose a war. And neither can my people."

A dark shadow passed over his face at this, the hard look of a warrior returning into his azure eyes.

"We'll see about that." He said, looking at her over the brim of his cup.

She shivered as a gust of wind blew against their tent. There would be blood spilling soon and she could do nothing about it. 

"We'll see." Her voice was barely a whisper as she cast her eyes down onto the red yarn in her lap.


End file.
